Death of Dion Johnson
On May 25, 2020, Dion Johnson, a 28-year-old Black man was killed in Phoenix, Arizona, during an arrest for driving while intoxicated.[1] According to the Phoenix Police, a trooper was patrolling when he discovered Johnson's vehicle parked at the triangle piece of land between the freeway and on/off ramp, near Loop 101 and Tatum Boulevard. The trooper approached the vehicle and found Johnson asleep at the drivers seat, with cans of beer and a gun in the car, after removing the gun, the trooper attempted to arrest Johnson.
| Date | May 25, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Participants | George Cervantes |
| Deaths | Dion Johnson |
According to the officer, an altercation occurred when Johnson woke up and grabbed at the officer, the officer drew his weapon to have Johnson comply with instructions, Johnson complied and then as the officer holstered his weapon, Johnson allegedly lunged for the weapon. Another altercation ensued an in the struggle the officer fired his weapon. Johnson later died at the hospital. Police stated there is no body camera or car camera footage, and the trooper was not wearing a body camera.[2]
People involved
Dion Johnson was a prohibited possessor of firearms due to past criminal charges and had recently been released from the Arizona Department of Corrections several months prior.
George Cervantes is a Public Safety Trooper who was identified as the trooper involved in the shooting, and a fifteen year veteran of the force.[3]
Incident
According to the Phoenix Police account, a trooper was patrolling when he discovered Johnson's vehicle parked at the triangle piece of land between the freeway and on/off ramp, near Loop 101 and Tatum Boulevard. The trooper approached the vehicle and found Johnson asleep at the drivers seat, with cans of beer and a gun in the car, after removing the gun the trooper attempted to arrest Johnson. An altercation occurred when Johnson woke up and grabbed at the officer, the officer claimed that he drew his weapon to have Johnson comply with instructions but fired at Johnson and shot him in defense Johnson apparently lunged for the weapon.
After killing Johnson, the officer left his body handcuffed on the ground for six minutes, during which an ambulance and a fire truck waited on the side of the highway before going in to provide assistance.[4] Police stated there is no body camera or car camera footage; there were no other witnesses.[2]
Investigation
Officials have placed the trooper who shot Johnson on paid administrative leave. The department also stated there is no dashcam video as both troopers involved were motorcycle officers and were not equipped with body cameras.[2] However, video footage was later released from a live-feed Arizona Department of Transportation camera that was recorded by a local news station after the incident took place.[5]
Aftermath
The Arizona Department of Public Safety erected fencing around its headquarters in Phoenix in late May 2020 in order to stop a vigil for Johnson on the grounds. The fencing has since been turned into a community mural of posters, cardboard and paper signs that were fixed to the fencing with string and tape.[6]
Johnson's death was protested by Black Lives Matter protestors along with the death of George Floyd. On June 7, protestors had held 11 days of daily marches in Phoenix to demand change and chanted for six minutes straight to highlight the time that medical aid was withheld from Johnson even with an ambulance stationed a few hundred feet away.[6]
Response
The family of Johnson and their attorney Jocquese Blackwell, have questioned how a man who was sleeping in his vehicle and disarmed could be murdered, emphasizing the lack of body cameras, police cameras, or other witnesses to corroborate the sole police account of the incident.[2]
Arizona State Representative Reginald Bolding, has demanded more transparency in the case and sent a letter to the public safety department.[2] He later issued a statement to the US Department of Justice to take over the investigation, that was cosigned by Representative Doctor Geraldine Peten and Arizona Commissioner Sandra Kennedy.[7]
References
- "Police brutality videos during protests shock US". BBC News. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- Martinez, Jennifer (2020-06-03). "Family wants answers after Arizona DPS trooper fatally shoots Dion Johnson". FOX 10 Phoenix. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- Frank, BrieAnna J. (July 15, 2020). "Phoenix police release report in DPS trooper's fatal shooting of Dion Johnson". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- "Audio Released in the Police Shooting of Dion Johnson". The Root. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- Staff, azfamily com News (June 3, 2020). "Video shows apparent moments after Dion Johnson was shot by DPS in Phoenix". AZFamily. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- Gómez, Laura (2020-06-09). "Thousands turn DPS show of force into a mural for Dion Johnson". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- Staff, azfamily com News (June 5, 2020). "Dion Johnson's mother wants FBI to look into DPS shooting death of her son". AZFamily. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
